American soccer has had its share of ups and downs - but there are many encouraging signs right now. A great example is an announcement by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds to expand their existing stadium - growing from a capacity of 5,000 to 15,000, in anticipation of a transformative era for the club.
In Episode 74 of the Because Football Podcast, we chat with Ryan Shaffer, VP of Marketing for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Pittsburgh Riveters SC, and Highmark Stadium, the home of soccer in the area. Prior to working in professional soccer, Ryan owned his own marketing agency for 10 years, and also teaches sports photography and videography at Point Park University.
A local Pittsburgh native, Ryan admits that he essentially forgot about the Riverhounds completely before joining the organization three years ago. But under his leadership since then, the club has made a resurgence - selling out 75% of matches and galvanizing the local community - connecting with soccer purists and newbies, alike.
In this episode, Ryan talks about some key tactics that have been successful in making the Riverhounds, and newly founded Riveters, more relevant in a passionate sports town. He also shares the marketing team’s plans for generating demand for a newly expanded stadium and how they hit the ground running with their new Riveters women’s team by inviting fans to be a central part of the process.
Connect with Ryan and Pittsburgh Riverhounds here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanrshaffer/
https://www.instagram.com/ryanrshaffer/
http://instagram.com/riverhoundssc
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/baggaleyandrew/
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